Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?

I’ve been to London, and Adam Ant I have seen. I knew I would probably live to regret it, but I couldn’t help wearing a big swishy top (kimono sleeved wraparound Ossie in black moss crepe with satin trim) and some very glossy patent shoes. I love the gothic, fetish imagery of his early badge and t-shirt designs.

Friday night was Adam’s big comeback gig at La Scala, so Charley and I got our hands on two very precious tickets and somehow managed to brave the nasty torrential rain. Me with curls in my hair and an Ossie Clark top upon my person. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Why does it always rain on me when I’m heading to gigs? To paraphrase someone.

As we were walking around, trying to find a bar in which to meet the fabulous Jenny Drag from The Priscillas, we actually bumped into the man himself just arriving. I say bumped into; I did my usual polite ‘getting out of the way’ thing, while he was not looking where he was going and veering into me. Seconds later, I realised I should have been veering into him… Dang. A fair amount of brandy was going to be required to calm us down…

Anyway, once he took to the stage the night really came to life. After a slightly shaky start where he announced that ‘Adam and the Ants are no more’ and that all that stuff was behind him and the usual kind of stuff they say, and then a rather fabulous rendition of Get it On (accompanied by a very cute story I now can’t bloody remember about how he once met Marc Bolan), he finally launched into Ant Music. Ahhhhhh.

I felt a bit guilty, feeling so happy that he was playing part of his back catalogue. I’m not sure why. I guess I have a healthy respect for an artist’s right to play whatever the hell they want to play, unless something else has been advertised. But it was a guilty pleasure, for it continued into Kings of the Wild Frontier, Goody Two Shoes, Prince Charming (a drink prevented me from full arm thrusting but I was doing it in spirit) and, bizarrely, Apollo 9. Amongst others, of course. Including a very sexy rendition of Shakin’ all Over.

After an encore and lots of aggressive bopping by lots of aggressive middle aged jerks in centre front (flashbacks of Lovebox terror and Charley kept looking at me with great concern on her face) he came back out and announced he was going to read some poetry. A sad spectacle ensued where he was trying to read to those who wished to listen, whilst aforementioned sad middle aged jerks were yelling obscenities and demanding more songs. I’m sorry, but the tickets were pretty damn cheap for a gig by an actual icon and you’d already got your gig. Plus encore. If he wants to sit and read to us, then that’s his right. You can either sit and listen or bugger off.

He managed to get to the end, however, and good on him for doing so.

You may or may not remember, back in July, I lost an amazing vintage enamel Adam Ant badge at the Lovebox festival. I’m still grouchy at Nick Rhodes for that.

Darling Charley decided, once people had cleared off, to go hunting for badges and other memorabilia which he had thrown into the audience. Amazingly, she found a badge. Who the hell throws an Adam Ant badge on the floor, which he’s just thrown to them himself? People are weird. But the Gods of Rock and Roll obviously decided that I was owed a semi-replacement badge and sent Charley to deliver it. BryanGod bless her!

It was like all the stars had aligned themselves that night, aside from the one which guards against blisters on your tootsies, and it really was an incredible experience. It was lovely to see Jenny again and her gorgeous friend Ali, and pretty surreal to be standing there watching someone I’ve adored for so long. It took a while to relax and enjoy it, if I’m honest, because of his past problems. But I stopped feeling like I was watching Bambi after a few songs, and have now utterly lost my voice from singing along.

The only, only thing that could have made it better (The less said about my grabbing his hand, at Charley’s insistence, the better. Blame it on the brandy…) would have been if he’d played Puss in Boots. Cheesy, yes, but it’s one of my guilty pleasures. I aspire to be the woman in that video.

I must learn to pout in photos.

Jenny Drag and Ali-cat. Fab-u-lous!

and, I knew WendyB would scold me if I didn’t show what I was wearing. But I forgot to do it before I left, and realised things were about to get messy so I couldn’t leave it any longer. Hence, super-glamorous (and ever-so-flatteringly-lit) photoshoot in the ladies loos. I’m just so ‘urban’ and ‘grime’….or whatever. Anyway….

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8 Comments on “Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?”

I love that my very first visit to your blog, I'm greeted by a review of an Adam Ant gig. THIS WAS AWESOME!! I have a lot of love for Adam Ant: "Kings of the Wild Frontier' anyone? He's magical and it's so lovely to see him performing and putting on such a good show. By the way sweets, you are beautiful. I love the outfit that you wore the show; gorgeous. Consider yourself followed 🙂

Firstly, you and ALL your friends do indeed look fab-u-lous. And the last news I remember reading about Adam Ant (excepting his appearance at Malcolm's funeral, where he looked amazing) was really not good at all. Anyway, I'm so pleased to hear that he's 'back in the saddle' and doing what he does best. I'll bet that's the best tonic for him – he's a born performer. Shame on those idiots who heckled his poetry. I really do despair at some people, honestly.

*blush blush blush*Well thank you everyone for your very lovely comments. Wendy, I have to say that I do often think 'well if it's good enough for WendyB to give big smile in her photos, then it's good enough for me'. But you're far more adept at the lipstick wearing than I am! ;)Tintrunk, I know. They were just drunk jerks who probably just thought it would be 'cool' to see Adam Ant without really appreciating how momentous it was.The Ossie will be off for a dry clean ASAP. It's done a Duran gig and an Adam Ant gig, and I think I felt beer trickling down my back so it'll need a freshen up. God I love black crepe though, I've got one top which has had red wine, coke AND beer spilt down it and you can't see a trace of any of it.